Cover Story Corporate spies in the corridors of powerSAGNIK DUTTAV. VENKATESAN in New DelhiThe ongoing investigation into the theft of documents from the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas reveals the ugly face of crony capitalism.
‘None of the above’V. VENKATESAN in New DelhiThe Supreme Court upholds the right of the voter to reject in secrecy all the candidates in an election and be counted.
The Judiciary Judicial overreach?V. VENKATESAN in New DelhiThree recent judgments by the Supreme Court and one interim order by the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court have a direct impact on the functio
Chinnappa Reddy & J.S. Verma Two judicial legaciesV. VENKATESAN in New DelhiTwo eminent jurists who passed away in the span of a week in April had made invaluable contributions to the rule of law, judicial accountability and e
Judges in the dockV. VENKATESAN in New Delhi & SUHRID SANKAR CHATTOPADHYAY in Kolkata The judiciary comes under the scanner over charges of corruption and misconduct.
Truth as defenceV. VENKATESAN in New Delhi The amendment to the Contempt of Courts Act providing for truth as a defence is on test in the case against Mid-Day of Delhi.
A presidential dilemmaV. VENKATESAN in New DelhiPresident A.P.J. Abdul Kalam faces the unpleasant onus of having to take a decision on the mercy petitions of 20 convicts facing capital punishment, e
The end of the caseV. VENKATESAN in New DelhiThe Bofors saga may at last be over with the Delhi High Court's verdict quashing the charges of criminal conspiracy and cheating against the Hinduja B
Secrecy and silenceV. VENKATESAN in New DelhiThe UPA government files two seemingly contradictory affidavits in the Supreme Court in the case relating to the Kargil War defence deals, while it is
A verdict and some questionsV. VENKATESAN in New DelhiThe Supreme Court's judgment acquitting all but one in the Shankar Guha Niyogi assassination case causes shock and dismay.
Not above boardV. VENKATESAN in New DelhiWhile allowing the Board of Control of Cricket in India to convene the AGM to ratify the election of new office-bearers, the Supreme Court strongly cr
A failed mediatorV. VENKATESAN in New DelhiThe Sankaracharya's efforts to mediate in the Ayodhya dispute failed as he squandered his credibility by ultimately toeing the Vishwa Hindu Parishad l
Loss of faceV. VENKATESAN in New DelhiThe events that led to the suspension of Uma Bharati from the Bharatiya Janata Party point to a serious credibility crisis in the party after Advani's
A closed clubV. VENKATESAN in New DelhiThe Punjab and Haryana High Court orders the closure of the illegal golf course near Chandigarh and directs the CBI to probe the nexus between its pro
The collapse of a forgery caseV.VENKATESAN in New DelhiThe acquittal of Chandraswami by a Special Court in the case for lack of evidence raises questions about the CBI's ability to investigate efficiently
POTA reinventedV. VENKATESAN in New DelhiThe much-criticised Prevention of Terrorism Act goes, but the amended Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act threatens to take its place with a vengeanc
Elusive extraditionV. VENKATESAN in New DelhiThe U.S. government's rejection of India's request to extradite Warren Anderson, former Chairman of Union Carbide Corporation, does not seem to be bas
The dilemma of governanceV. VENKATESAN in New DelhiThe BJP attempts to champion States' rights seriously through a conference of its Chief Ministers. However, such articulation of federal issues on a p
Death as penaltyV. VENKATESAN in New DelhiThe Dhananjoy Chatterjee case shows that both judicial and non-judicial decisions on a death sentence are guided by public outrage over the gravity of
For judicial transparencyV. VENKATESAN in New DelhiA Private Member's Bill in Parliament seeks to address the problem of lack of data on judicial functioning by calling for the creation of government o
Between the parivar and political alliesV. VENKATESAN in New DelhiIn spite of the rhetoric about Integral Humanism, development and so on, it is clear that the BJP's exposition of its ideology does not rule out its c
A chance to fightV. VENKATESAN in New DelhiThe Supreme Court's order to disburse among the Bhopal gas victims the unspent compensation amount remaining with the RBI presents an opportunity to r
Marching ordersV. VENKATESAN in New DelhiThe Opposition's criticism of the Centre's dismissal of four Governors lacks credibility in the light of past experiences and its own track record.
Freebie phobia: The BJP’s concerted attack on redistributive transfers Although the BJP is against ‘freebies’ in principle, in practice it has been forced to use a version of concessions and transfers to counter the o
SlideshowLiving on the edgeThey are river people, whose lives ebb and flow with the waters of the Brahmaputra in a timeless rhythm. But now, hydroelectric projects and homogenis
